Thesis--Wisconsin. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 463-474).

This study of Shelley's intellectual development as it is reflected in these philosophical poems is offered in the hope that knowledge of Shelley's idealism may inspire faith in the beauty which life can possess and trust in the high ideals which alone can create such beauty.

Consciously or unconsciously an author's literary work reflects his experiences and his reaction to these experiences. Because the personal history of the author is inseparable from his works, a study of The Cenci would be incomplete without a review of the background of Shelley's life, some of the philosophies which interested him, and the political and social movements with which he concerned himself.

More than any other English Romantic poet, with the possible exception of Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley has been attacked by critics who argue that in both his personal life and in his poetry and prose writings, he was immoral. Regardless of what may be said against Shelley's personal life, as a writer he is profoundly moralistic in almost all of his literary works. This thesis shows, using several of his longer poetic works, selected religious and philosophical essays, and various letters, that Shelley deliberately used the theme of vengeance against tyrannical oppression as an agent for presenting his moral principles. The first chapter introduces Shelley's didactic moral code concerning revenge against tyrannical despotism as revealed in certain philosophical and religious essays, Prometheus Unbound, The Cenci, and The Mask of Anarchy. Chapter II examines the following three philosophical and religious essays by Shelley which illustrate his moral concept of vengeance as this concept relates to tyrannical oppression: "Essay on Christianity," An Address to the Irish People, and A Philosophical View of Reform. The third chapter discusses the moral precepts involved in Prometheus Unbound as they relate to revenge and despotic domination. Chapter IV explains how Shelley, even though sympathizing with Beatrice Cenci, criticized her for not persevering in love, forgiveness, and forbearance as she avenged the incestuous assault committed against her by her tyrannical father. Chapter V explores the moral principles found in The Mask of Anarchy as they relate to revenge and tyrannical oppression. The conclusion reemphasizes Shelley's use of vengeance against tyrannical oppression as a means of presenting his moral principles. / Master of Arts

L’époque romantique marque un tournant décisif dans les relations entre création littéraire et connaissance scientifique. Le discours scientifique se dote progressivement d’un langage et d’une méthode spécifiques, rompant avec la philosophie naturelle, qui conjuguait jusqu’alors considérations physiques et métaphysiques, observation et célébration de la nature. À l’heure où William Wordsworth lance l’aphorisme « we murder to dissect », déclaration d’indépendance de la parole poétique vis-à-vis du discours scientifique, Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) étudie avec assiduité les sciences à Eton puis à Oxford, avant d’entreprendre une formation médicale au Saint Bartholomew’s Hospital de Londres. Cette thèse met en évidence la transfiguration poétique des concepts et théories scientifiques dont Shelley avait pris connaissance à travers ses lectures et sa formation, ainsi que le saut imaginatif qui subvertit ces représentations en les intégrant aux réseaux des métaphores que le texte tisse selon ses propres lois. En une métamorphose féconde, Shelley déploie les soubassements mythiques et imaginaires, ainsi que les prolongements éthiques et métaphysiques des écrits scientifiques sur lesquels il se pencha. Cette étude se situe à la rencontre de deux ambitions heuristiques, de deux exigences formelles. Science et poésie sont à la recherche des harmonies cachées qui sous-tendent le monde des apparences. Soumettre l’absolu à la mesure, soumettre la beauté à la métrique poétique, soumettre la complexité infinie du monde naturel au calcul mathématique : telles sont les entreprises parallèles de la poésie de Shelley et de la science de son temps. / The Romantic era was a time of tremendous change in the relationship between literary creation and scientific knowledge. Scientists framed a specific language and distinctive methods as they moved away from natural philosophy, which had thus far combined physics with metaphysics and united the observation of nature with its celebration. While William Wordsworth stated that « we murder to dissect », thus declaring the secession of poetic writing from scientific discourse, Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) was steadily studying science at Eton and then at Oxford, before embarking on a medical training at Saint Bartholomew’s Hospital in London. This thesis explores the poetic transfiguration of the scientific theories and concepts that Shelley came across in his readings and during his studies. It focuses on the way science is subverted by the poet’s imagination, as scientific representations undergo a fruitful metamorphosis, and become pa! rt of the webs of metaphors woven by the text according to its own laws. Shelley recreates the mythical and imaginary foundations as well as the ethical and metaphysical implications which lie dormant in the scientific writings he looks into. This study examines the encounter of two heuristic endeavours, of two highly formalised ways of writing. Science and poetry are in search of the hidden harmonies which underlie appearances. Measuring the measureless, encompassing absolute beauty within poetic metrics, subsuming the infinite richness of the natural world within the rules of mathematical calculation, such are the parallel endeavours of Shelley’s poetry and the science of his age.

Freie Univ., Habil-Schr.--Berlin. / Includes bibliographical references and index.

Issued also as Thesis (Ph. D.), Columbia University. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 94-97).

In both Prometheus Unbound and Hellas Shelley used the drama of Aeschylus as the model for composition. Accordingly, the plays' subtitle "Lyrical Drama" refers to the two major components of Aeschylean drama: the lyrics recited by the chorus and the drama of character dialogue. In taking up this specific literary genre, the poet also inherited a complex model of the socio-political system of ancient Greece, with which the dramatists had been able to explore contemporary issues. Through various means, Shelley adapted Aeschylean drama to his own language and style, using the genre's inherent capacity for social critique to examine the concerns of his time.

An unaltered and unabridged republication of the author's thesis, Yale University. / Includes bibliographical references.

An unaltered and unabridged republication of the author's thesis, Yale University. / Includes bibliographical references.